Different
by MilkandCookies3
Summary: The family always knew Max had some, well, issues.


**A/N- So this is angsty but hopefully not too bad. It's about Max's life and childhood. It gives some of the other family members views on him. Sorry that I really suck with names and summaries.**

Max had always been, in the nicest way of saying it, different. And it was quite noticeable. The family had agreed not to speak about his differences as it was something that bothered him and another unspoken agreement was that he had some issues.

There were times when the boy would have anxiety attacks and times when he'd cry at night because he felt unloved. Sometimes Phoebe would stay up with him and attempt to convince him otherwise. It only lasted for a while. He stuggled with intimacy. Max had far more insecurities than the normal teenager. He could pick out the most silly things to be ashamed of.

As a child he had struggles. His mother and father had noticed he was a little behind. They noticed he developed his powers later and had difficulties using them. They noticed he always acted kinda young for his age. His mother likes to ignore that. In her eyes he was no short of perfect. The fact that he never had any friends upset Barb. The fact that the children were quite cruel to him.

Max was beaten up. He was given black eyes, scrapes, and burn marks. He was called strange, a _freak._ He would always try to defend himself, but it's hard to fight back when you're short and super skinny. He was made fun of for everything little flaw, quirk, and interest he had. His clothes had been cut and torn apart, his things would get stolen and destroyed. Max had it rough.

Max was different. He liked to read and paint. He got called a sissy for that. He cared a lot about his grades. He liked gymnastics and tennis, which the other kids called him gay for liking. He got called gay for a lot of things. The boy wasn't the best hero either. Which lead to extreme ostracism by the other children and the Hero League. Especially since he was compared to his sister, "the greatest hero ever" or "the perfect child". And when the villain phase came it made him 'stranger'.

Phoebe liked to forget how harshly her brother was treated. She liked to forget she never stood up for him or let him set with her at lunch. She was ashamed that she'd once said Max was too embarrassing to be seen with. She hated to remember the times that he'd get hurt trying to defend her when guys bothered her. Phoebe hated the thought of the cruelty that Max was given. If she could go back she wouldn't have made those mistakes.

His home life wasn't great either. Neither is it now. Always getting ignored, always misunderstood, and _never_ feeling like he belongs. As a kid he would take the blame for the things his sister did or all the credit for what they did together. He'd get punished harshly at times, but he never told it was Phoebe too. After a while they both got used to this. Phoebe went unpunished for those things which became a contributor to favoritism.

Barb tried her best to be there for Max and expect him for who he was. She gave him sticky notes with reminders that he's loved and he's a good person and that he doesn't have to be ashamed of who he is. Hank on the other hand had a much different relationship with the teen. He rarely interacted with his son, mostly avoiding Max. Max believed his father hated but it was quite the opposite.

He acted out a lot because of his insecurities. That resulted in the villain phase. A phase of promises of being evil and that he'll take over the world, when really, he wouldn't harm a soul. At least not on purpose. He put up walls. He shut everyone out. He made sure no one could get in. But there were times when those walls crumbled and Max's feelings came out. He didn't like showing emotion. It made him feel weak.

His family's patience wasn't always with him. They got annoyed with his bitterness and irritated by his scheming. Max had become nasty. He'd hurt them. His parents sometimes implied the loved the other children more or said things like he was less talented and less intelligent. The family made fun of him a lot. They talked badly of him behind his back and excluded him. It hurt. He never showed it.

Both Barb and Hank had to remind him (and occasionally themselves) that they loved him just as much.

His family would laugh about his ridiculous fears at times. Like how he's terrified of shots and the dark. Sometimes he laughed along, other times he'd walk away upset. He looked for attention. He was _starved_ for it. He sometimes went to extreme lengths just to get the slightest from his parents. Other times he'd remain in the shadows thinking it's where he belonged.

Max didn't do well in school. And for that he was constantly tormented by being called stupid everyday.

Max worried about his future. He worried he wasn't going to be useful enough to get a job. He was always worried about failing. Because that's all he did. Every little thing he tried he failed at. He worried that he'd never get married or have a family. He worried that he'd be all alone. He thought nobody'd ever love him. Max had never kissed a girl nor been in a relationship longer than three weeks.

He didn't really want to have sex or watch porn like all the other guys his age did. He knew he wasn't gay. He liked girls. He just didn't want to see them naked. He sometimes cried because he thought a girl would never want him like that.

Max was quite happy when he was with his friends though. It made him feel good that some people chose to be around him. Max adored playing gigs with his band. He felt comfortable with them. There were times though when he didn't want friends and he treated them nastily. He forgot what it was like not to have any.

But in all truth, Max really considered Phoebe his best friend. Phoebe on the other hand, didn't exactly know what to think about her brother. He'd hurt her multiple times. But she loved and forgave him anyway. She got tired of looking out for him. Keeping him out of harm and keeping him from causing harm. She was tired of his laziness and carefree attitude.

She got aggravated with him taunting her, following her around, and just screwing things up all the time. He was like a five year old. She tried avoiding him for a while. It didn't work it only made him bug her more and then she ended up hurting his feelings. (And plus she missed him a bunch.)

Max wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the stupid villain phase, she always thought. The memory never seemed to cross her mind that he was just trying not to look like such a failure next to her.

Phoebe sometimes forgot how much Max cared about her and the rest of the family. She forgot how he'd put her happiness before himself. How generous he was. She didn't remember that he was just a dorky kid try to find his place in the world. Phoebe forgot all that when Max was plotting against her. She forgot how she was all he had. How he'd never had a best friend or anything like that. How if she doesn't hug him, nobody will. How if she doesn't include him, he'll be completely alone.

Phoebe forgot how much they loved each other. But he didn't.


End file.
